


mammalian diving reflex

by erintoknow



Series: Aria-Rough Drafts [7]
Category: Fallen Hero Series - Malin Rydén, Fallen Hero: Rebirth (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Gender Dysphoria, POV Female Character, POV Second Person, Trans Character, Trans Female Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:21:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22076131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erintoknow/pseuds/erintoknow
Summary: Your puppet has come a long way since you found her comatose in a hospital bed. There's a long way to go yet, but tonight you get to do something you've been looking forward to a long time.
Series: Aria-Rough Drafts [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1604665
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	mammalian diving reflex

Breath in, hold, exhale. Jane repeats, motioning with her hands. In, hold, out. It’s fine. This is fine. You’re fine. It’s been a long recovery. But here she is. Standing and walking and moving unaided. A living human woman. Well. For a certain measure of ‘living.’ After all, you’re holding the strings.

Picked this pool for the private changing rooms. Jane doesn’t have your… many drawbacks but that hasn’t eased your discomfort with bodies in any fashion. Any euphoria you might have felt by the absence of certain parts was quickly tempered. It’s absurd though. Jane is empty. There’s no one home without you. There’s no one to be voyeuristic of.

It’s just you, right?

A better you.

A you that needs to get in shape and tone up if she wants to be able to hold her own in the situations you’re going to end up sending her into. Jane runs a finger under the cut of the swimsuit, pulls the fabric down. Should have gone with something more conservative. Stupid.

But – _You_ would never be able to get away with wearing a bathing suit. Jane can, and already she doesn’t look half bad. That’s good, you suppose. Attractiveness is just another tool in the box that you can swing at fools. If you were in your own body, it’s possible you might be moved to tears right now. But to Jane this is nothing. Just any other day.

One last look over in the mirror and Jane claps her hands together, unlocks the door and stashes her change of clothes in a locker.

Out in the pool proper, there’s a few late-night stragglers. Like you, probably planning to stay until the staff makes them leave. A few curious glances in Jane’s direction and that’s it.You have Jane pace the circumference of the pool, get the lay of the sea as it were.

It’s a moment’s decision, and Jane finds herself standing at the deep end of the pool, next to the diving board. Heart racing in her chest, lips pressed into a tight grin as she takes one step back, then another, then a few more.

Braces herself…

Someone to the side shouts something and that’s the cue. With a running start, Jane jumps into the air at the pool’s edge, pulling her arms and legs in a split second before impact. Water enveloping all sides, hair floating every which way. Don’t quite touch bottom.

Jane opens her eyes, distorted blue filtering everything. Unfolding, her feet touch the bottom. Can’t fight the grin on her face. The water is everything you could have imagined and then some. Cool but not cold, it’s touch everywhere but not overwhelming like a person’s touch would be. Its contact without intent, a hug without threat.

The ache in her lungs comes too soon and Jane reluctantly pushes off the bottom, claws through the water to the surface. Not far to go, but it’s more tiring than you expected. Maybe you rushed things throwing Jane straight in the deep end.

Head breaks the surface and Jane swallows down air. Hands and feet treading water until the edge of the pool comes in grasping range. Fuck yeah… Unbidden laughter bubbles up, only cutting short by the furious lifeguard.

“If you want to dive, use the diving board,” He jabs a hand to your right before crossing his arms. Taps his foot. “You know the rules, no running jumps, no cannon balls.”

Jane purses her lips, rolling her eyes. “Yeah, yeah.”

“Do it again and you’re banned for a week.”

“Whatever, buddy.” Jane pushes off the edge. What did you do for the backstroke again? Move your arms like this…? Once Jane has the hang of it, she pauses, raising a hand out of the water to flip the bird to the retreating back of the lifeguard. As soon as he turns around, the hand returns to the water with a splash.

Fuck him. In a year or two, you and Jane will have this city eating out of your hands.

Maybe you’ll get to take a swim in your own body then.


End file.
